Watch: Luke Raley sure looks ready for his Mariners return

The Seattle Mariners could use the bat belonging to Luke Raley in their lineup right about now.

The good news is they may not have to wait much longer for him, as Raley is showing on a rehab assignment that he’s ready to get back in the big league batter’s box.

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The 30-year-old slugger is now five games deep into a stint with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, and it’s clearly going well. Raley is 7 for 19 (.368) with a double, three runs scored, three RBIs, and a very, very long home run.

That homer came on Tuesday night, the fourth game of Raley’s rehab assignment, and was ripped at 108.5 mph with a launch angle of 38 degrees. Perhaps most important, it came against a left-handed pitcher. That’s notable because only four of the lefty-swinging Raley’s 46 homers in MLB play have come against southpaws.

Yea, he looks ready. Raley with the towering shot! pic.twitter.com/nLiF4seEfH

— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) June 18, 2025

Raley’s blast helped the Rainiers beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 6-1, and he kept the momentum going Wednesday night, going 2 for 5 with a pair of RBIs.

The way Raley has been used in Tacoma is a good sign, too.

After playing his first game with the Rainiers on June 12 as Tacoma’s designated hitter, he’s been in the field for the four games since. And that’s both at first base, where he played Sunday and Wednesday, and right field, where he was Saturday and Tuesday.

Raley was taken out for a defensive substitution later in each of the games Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, but he played a full nine innings at first on Wednesday night.

Raley rips a ball up the middle and we're within 2! 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ig0hlcHuyS

— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) June 19, 2025

When will Luke Raley return?

The Mariners have been without Raley since he suffered a Grade 1 right oblique strain on a swing during batting practice before an April 29 game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

Prior to the injury, Raley was off to a slow start this year, hitting .206 with two homers, two stolen bases and a .669 OPS in 24 games. But he was one of Seattle’s most productive hitters in 2024, hitting .243 with 22 homers, 11 steals and a .783 OPS in 137 games.

The Mariners are off Thursday, then open a 10-game road trip at 11:20 a.m. Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported Thursday that Raley is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list “in the coming days.”

If left-hander Matthew Boyd, a Mercer Island native and former M’s pitcher, starts Friday, the M’s may wait until Saturday to bring back Raley against a right-handed starter. The Cubs’ pitching rotation is in flux as the team had their game Wednesday postponed due to weather.

Seattle Sports radio coverage of the Mariners’ series opener Friday against the Cubs will begin at 10 a.m. with the pregame show.

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